1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to charcoal fuel heating materials. Specifically, the invention relates to lightweighted charcoal heating materials including a rheology modifying agent and to methods and compositions for making lightweighted charcoal heating materials, such as briquettes.
2. Relevant Art
Charcoal heating materials, such as charcoal briquettes, are commonly used for cooking food. Foods cooked with charcoal can have a unique flavor and have wide appeal. Conventional charcoal briquettes generally provide a slow-burning fuel with a high BTU output. In particular, the dense structure and low porosity of conventional charcoal briquettes allow the charcoal to burn slowly for an extended period of time.
One of the shortcomings of conventional charcoal briquettes is that the briquettes can be difficult to ignite and may not continue to burn, even after they appear to have been ignited. To address this problem, conventional charcoal manufacturers often spray the briquettes with a petroleum solvent to create “easy-to-light” briquettes. More commonly, a consumer will use lighter fluid to ignite the briquettes. Excess use of such flammable petroleum-based materials, however, may impart unwanted flavors and chemicals to the food. Additionally, the use of lighter fluid can emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can have adverse short and/or long-term health effects.
In addition to the difficulty in lighting conventional charcoal briquettes, once ignited, conventional charcoal briquettes typically must complete an initial “ignition phase,” or formation of visible ash on a majority of the briquette before they are suitable for cooking. Once past the ignition phase, the briquettes burn with an intense heat throughout a “burn phase” during which a consumer can use the briquettes for cooking. Unfortunately, the ignition phase of conventional briquettes often requires considerable time. Thus, conventional briquettes are often inadequate when a consumer desires a rapidly available heat source for cooking without undue delay.
Accordingly, there are a number of disadvantages in conventional charcoal briquettes that can be addressed.